Easy and Cheap Guitar Light Mod

About: Currently in college pursuing a degree in music therapy but love working with my hands!
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Hey guys here is my entry in the make it glow contest, it's simple and easy but definitely turns heads :) enjoy!

Supplies:

Step 1: Materials:

Alright there are only a couple of things we need to get before we can start,A guitar with a pick guard (I'm using one I'm in the process of building now)About 2m or 6 feet of el wire ($5-10 eBay)Scotch tape15 minutes of your timeAnd that's it!

Step 2: Set Up

So first thing we need to do is take off our pick guard and our spring plate on the back. After we do that we can run the el wire from the back out the front of the guitar.

Step 3: Strategic Placement

Then the next step is to flip the pickguard upside down and start placing the el wire around the very outer edge. To keep it in place we can just tape it down with a tiny bit of scotch tape around the side of the pickguard. Don't worry we will remove it soon ;)

Step 4: Tape Removal

Almost there! :) the next step is to start screwing the pickguard back in place and to remove the tape. In order to do this we can screw in one section at a time just hard enough to hold down the wire but not so hard as to make it so we can't pull the tape out. Then you pull the tape as if it were a command strip and it should come right out. It may pull some el wire with it like it did mine a little as you can see in the photo. If this happens you can just push it back in under the plastic and then it's as simple as tightening the screw once you have it the way you want it. This way there's no glue ruining your pickguard or your guitar.

Step 5: Transformer Noise

As you may know el wire needs a transformer because it can't run on simple dc battery power. Well this can be a problem because it interferes with the guitar signal and creates a high pitched frequency if the transformer is near the pickups. So there is no way to put it inside the guitar. To battle this you only need to simply place the transformer in your back pocket while you play, or even easier you can clip it to the back of your strap. Your body will block the interference and you can play and light up your guitar at the same time!

Step 6: Admire Your Work and Play a Gig!

Last but certainly not least is to awe your friends with your new light up guitar. You will have more stage presence and that extra wow factor and it only cost you 5 dollars and 15 minutes of your time! You won't be able to notice it when it's not turned on, and best of all it's only held down by the pickguard screws so it's completely reversible. Let me know if you have any questions about this instructable and if you liked it don't forget to vote! Thanks and happy shredding! :)